Seattle: Haircuts and Hair Color

Lindsay Hostetter

Cut, $851520 Seventh Ave.206-903-1777

Our long hair had less body than a runway model, and we were hoping for a big change. And, boy, did Hostetter deliver. After massaging our scalp, she assessed our face shape and hair texture and pointed to our collarbone. We gulped and nodded OK. She cut off three inches and sprinkled in shorter layers, giving our hair flippy ends. Based on all the compliments we got, the dramatic difference was just what we needed.

Amy Quackenbush

Cut, $904224 Fremont Ave. N.206-522-5245

Having fine and frizzy hair is a lose-lose situation: Volume-building layers turn feathery, and fuzz-busting serums weigh things down. But Quackenbush offered to turn the odds in our favor with a cut and a translucent glaze. She cut off two inches and sliced a few shorter, thicker pieces underneath to keep our style from falling flat. Next, she deposited a shine-enhancing gloss that seemed to soften our hair's rough texture. At last, a stylist who wins out over Mother Nature.

Annie Fisher

Highlights, $100 and up2812 E. Madison St.206-992-1003

With her celebrity clients and editorial work, Fisher has a high-profile status that belies her low-key approach to color. She studied our natural brown hue, and prescribed...more brown hues. Beginning several inches below our roots to prevent telltale streaks, she added dozens of ribbons just a breath lighter than our own deep base. The results looked surprisingly natural but added a blatant dose of shine.

Lisa Akerlund

Cut, $592101 N. 55th St.206-547-1510

The true test of a stylist is how she handles curls. If she can make them look glossy and healthy, not limp or puffy, she has our vote. Akerlund passed the test with flying colors, snipping layers into our shoulder-length hair and showing us how to style it by twisting the top sections before using a diffuser. We appreciated the trick, but the cut looked even better when we let it air-dry at home.

Blonde

Jaeger Stoltz

Cut, $702028 Second Ave.206-728-8007

Stoltz is not a yes-man, which we discovered as soon as we requested bangs. "Bad idea," he said. "They'll overwhelm your face." Instead, he suggested a blunt, shoulder-skimming cut that would make our coarse texture appear smoother. He cleaned up our ragged ends, carefully measuring each section before cropping it with a self-assured
snip. We may not have gotten an eye-grazing fringe, but our sleek new style more than
made up for it.

Blonde

Kelly Rundle

Color, $120 and up2028 Second Ave.206-728-8007

Rather than creating a dazzling sun-drenched look (what sun?), Rundle took a more restrained approach, choosing to enhance the dark gold variations in our chestnut hair. Keeping within two shades of our deep base, she hand-painted highlights in cognac, placing them around our crown and drawing them toward our ends. The slivers of dark amber caught the light with every head turn and even accentuated our waves.

Most stylists want to lop off as many inches as possible, but Bowie suggested we grow our hair longer. "It would look foxy," she explained—which was all the incentive we needed. After a shampoo and scalp massage, she evened out our choppy layers for a smoother, more uniform look. Before we left, she instructed us to return in three months so she could continue coaxing our short locks into a shoulder-length mane. Good things really do come to those who wait.

Stacie Bowie

Blowout, $99 and up1507 Belmont Ave.206-568-3300

Growing out our bangs had left us with an impossible cowlick, front and center. We hoped that Bowie could disguise it, but she did us one better: Using a comb (and sleight of hand), she coaxed the hair so it swept to one side in a sexy, Veronica Lake kind of way. She then rolled a medium-size round brush up and down the rest of our hair—going over each section twice—for big, pinup-worthy volume that lasted for a blissful four days. Even after we shampooed, we were able to replicate her method and keep our bangs in line.

Stacie Bowie

Anjanette Hewitt

Highlights, $75 and up100 N.W. 36th St.206-548-8224

Asking a colorist to boost your natural shade is a simple request—unless you have no clue what your natural shade is. Our ombré ends, brassy roots (the result of an at-home hair-color experiment), and a fresh crop of grays had turned our medium brown hair into a multitonal mess. After a careful assessment, Hewitt decided to deepen our base with a rich molasses hue. She meticulously painted over every gray, then applied the formula from the middle to the ends with a wide brush. The result was a touch darker than we expected, but uniformly rich and glossy.